The Matrix: Reverberations
by Mercy19
Summary: Set 25 years after the ending of Revolutions, Alice finds herself on a virtually impossible mission. Final Chapter up.
1. 090125

Ususal disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters or settings of The Matrixand I'm not making a profit. 

****

**The Matrix: Reverberations**

09/01/25 After Truce 

Webb looks up at my poster of the code that would have me watching sunlight dapple through leaves if I were in the Matrix. 

"Not taking it with you?" he asks. 

"No," I say as I follow him, secretly glad he's collecting me. He's been more of a father to me than the two people I've now learnt to call father. Unusually he carries my backpack. Normally he wouldn't allow himself such a gesture. 

He hands it back to me without a word. 

I say nothing as I climb aboard, alone. 

I should be celebrating my 25th birthday, not settling into The Bethany, a ship I know well enough to fly blind. 

I'm ready and wait for clearance. My locket feels cold against my skin. My genes make me simultaneously valuable and expendable.

* * *

I remember Webb saying, "You fight like him and think like her." 

"Sir?" I wait for an explanation even though what I really want is a shower. Webb's not just a CO, he's also my mentor and he's always treated me differently. I used to think it was because joining the military was not my choice, but now I'm beginning to wonder. I rub a sleeve across my face. The others have gone to the shower block already. 

"Come to my office." 

I look down at my sweats, then jog after him. 

"At ease," he says. 

I can see my military record displayed on his screen. 

He flicks it off. "You've a mission..." 

I bite my lip. There's a chair in front of the desk but I remain standing. No one's been on a mission since the Truce 25 years ago. 

"A peace mission. But there's some history first. Sit down, Alice." 

I perch on the edge of the chair. Maybe I'll get to find out who I fight like and who I think like. I wonder who gave me the name Alice too. I doubt my foster parents did - they've always been upfront about that - but someone lumbered me with a name of an irritating girl who fell down a rabbit hole and provided a man with dreams of intimacy in his autumn years. 

"You know the story of the Great War?" 

I don't react: he knows I do. It's the story I tell myself every night before falling asleep. It's a story that goes something like this. At some point in the 21st century, the Machines began a war against us, well, an earlier generation of us. We retreated to Zion, sending out reconnaissance ships like the Nebuchadnezzar. At some point the sky got scorched in an attempt to deprive the Machines of their energy. They simply adapted. At this point we're supposed to be outraged that humans were bred in minefields, literally fueling the enemy, but did the Machines have any choice? To ensure compliance, the Machines created the Matrix, a virtual mind-world that looked and behaved like earth in 1999, ie before the war. We worked out how to plug into the Matrix and unplug some of the humans in the minefields. I've often wondered why the Machines went to all the trouble of building the Matrix, what they learnt from us. The Nebuchadnezzar turned out to be the most important scout ship. Captain Morpheus first found Trinity and then Neo. They went to Machine City. Neo negotiated the Truce. Or, at least, that's how it's taught. 

"And you know no one actually knows the terms of the Truce?" 

I nod this time. "The Machines withdrew and have never come back. So it was assumed Neo negotiated the Truce." 

"We need someone to go and establish the terms of the Truce." 

I take a large gulp of air and wait for my head to clear. 

Webb sits and waits. 

I focus, count my breaths. I'm only told things on a need to know basis. So, if I need to know this, that means I've been chosen to go. 

Webb moves the screen to the side of his desk and rests his forearms on it. 

I remember meeting him. Leaf and I had gone clubbing to celebrate passing our exams and getting our university places. Leaf was dancing and I was watching. This was where I'd always fallen in love with Leaf: he'd worn his long duster coat that emphasised his height, black jeans and tee shirt that show off his body without being obvious about it. Suddenly there was a voice in my ear, just audible above the bass, offering congratulations. Something in the tone of the voice told me not to turn and look at the speaker. Something also told me I'd hear the voice again. Then the voice had gone. Leaf and I had gone back to his and had made love slowly and tenderly, as if we knew it was goodbye. Next morning I'd come down to breakfast and there was Webb. The Military Academy became my home. 

"Neo and Trinity never came back," I say, aware Webb's still waiting for me to speak. 

"There's something you should know." 

I rest my arms on the chair arms so I can grip them. "Focus," I tell myself under my breath.

* * *

The Control Tower authorises clearance. The Bethany ticks over nicely. I stand by for the gates to open.

* * *

Webb had waited for me to look up. "Your foster mother was actually your surrogate mother." 

"I'd been told my mother died of a haemorrhage after childbirth, caused when the placenta broke from the womb lining. Medical supplies were short." 

Webb nods. "A lot of children were orphaned after the War. And your parents did die in the War." 

I'm still trying to piece something together: if my foster mother was my surrogate mother, but my foster father hasn't been mentioned, then who were my blood parents? 

"Morpheus had the sense to realise that Trinity and Neo were incredibily important to us. We were also at War. There was no guarantee that the War would end or that either Trinity or Neo would survive. What we did know was that neither of them would risk becoming parents while we were still at War," Webb pauses. He's not looking at me. 

I know what he's doing: waiting for me to put it together so he can pretend I worked it out. My heart's drumming so loudly it's dampening my thoughts. 

"Cloning or artifical insemination?" My hands grip the chair arms. 

"The second," Webb says. "Both were options but the second offered more chance of success." 

I shiver and look away. 

"Alice, you're the only one who can do this." 

Yeah right, I think. Fly into Machine City, hope they recognise me and ask nicely what terms the man who's apparently my father negotiated. And if I fail, they just make another baby to do the same thing. Finger by finger, I force my hands to ungrip the chair. 

I realise Webb's moved behind me and feel a sudden cold chain on my neck. Webb is fastening it. I assume it's a dog tag. 

"Morpheus named you." 

I stand up. 

Webb doesn't stop me. 

I jog back to my room and shower. I lie on my bed and stare at the poster not seeing the code but sunlight dappling through leaves. I think I fall asleep. 

Next morning I feel the chain again. It turns out to be a locket. Inside are pictures of Neo and Trinity. I look more like him: it's the dark eyes, but I'm only seeing a likeness because I've been told we have a genetic link. Webb's comment, "You fight like him and think like her," echoes in my mind.

* * *

The Bethany: someone's joke. Bethany was the place Lazarus was supposed to have come from. Leaf had always accused me of reading and remembering too much. I'm going to need all the stories I can remember. The gates begin to open. The Bethany powers up. 

"Into the rabbit hole," I tell myself.

* * *


	2. 090225

Ususal disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters or settings of The Matrixand I'm not making a profit. 

**The Matrix: Reverberations**

09/02/25 

The Bethany's keeping on course. I've run all the checks twice, although I only needed to do it once, and there's not much left to do: think and watch for Machine City's metallic gleam. 

I used to ask new recruits why they joined the military. It was always a variation of the same idea: to protect Zion and keep the peace. All of them knew someone missing one or more limbs, someone who woke drenched in sweat, someone who'd never come back, someone who'd lost a baby, a child, siblings, parents; all could recall more names of dead relatives than living ones. 

When I was asked, I gave the same reason. When he was present, Webb used to nod in approval. But my foster parents didn't wake with nightmares. I guessed, that they'd never talk about their own families was deliberate: the fewer people who knew about me, the better. 

And what does peace actually mean? All the Truce seems to have achieved is that humans and machines live in mutually exclusive zones, which satisfies the cessation of war part of the definition. But have we really learnt anything from the War? If miracles happen and I do get the terms of the Truce, what will the Council do with it? 

Webb's final words stick in my mind, "Auf wiedersehen." I wasn't paying much attention at the time, but now I think about it, why not simply say goodbye? Does he really think he's going to see me again? Webb taught me that before the War people spoke different languages but the War brought about uniformity. He also taught me a smattering of phrases from some of the different languages. Some of them I recognised: I guess some phrases just got assimilated. 

I look inside my locket. I suspect my journey will end in death: how can it otherwise? After all, if the Machines see that the Truce is working, why would they want to give up the terms? Once the terms are known the Council might start re-negotiations - or worse. 

Trinity knew she'd die and she wasn't much older than I am. And Neo? What did he know? Perhaps blinded and in pain, one last heroic mission made sense. She could have plotted the course and left him on the Logos alone, but she effectively chose suicide. Maybe she sensed his doubt and knew that's what it would take to push him through with it. Morpheus believed, she acted, and Neo? Neo gave them something to believe in. 

I can see Machine City in the distance. It's dark but there are sparks of light and the shadows alter, suggesting movement. They live in the same atmosphere that we do. We equated Neo and Trinity not coming back with their deaths, the withdrawl of the Machines with Truce, but I briefly wonder if Neo and Trinity are still here. 

Machine City's radar will pick me up at any moment. The first test will be how the Sentinels behave. The Bethany is unarmed. I think of the Lazarus story: essentially a sister believed Jesus could raise her brother from the dead and, once he saw her faith, he did. Jesus didn't make rules, he told lots of stories and left his audience thinking about how they'd act in that situation: would they have buried their talents? Would they have walked on by? Would they unload their riches to get through the eye of the needle? No, Jesus did make one rule: love your neighbour. And that's probably the hardest to follow. 

I snap my locket shut. Webb had shown me the records that appeared to prove it. But records can be faked. Even if the records were true, it still seems too incredible. How am I supposed to feel any connection to two people whose stories no one can fully tell me? How did they feel as they'd realised they'd made it to Machine City? 

Sentinels: search and destroy machines. I can sense them before the radar picks them up. I'm in sight of a landing stage. If I had an EMP, I'd make it. But now, it's a race: me and them. As I switch The Bethany to manual control, I tell myself there will be a tomorrow. 


	3. 090325

Ususal disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters or settings of The Matrix and I'm not making a profit. 

**The Matrix: Reverberations**

09/03/25 

Suddenly it's gone dark. And quiet: all I can hear is my breathing and the hum of The Bethany's systems. I know I've landed OK and I can still sense the Sentinels. That's the weirdest thing: they should be burrowing their way in. But they're not. 

A mass of code appears on one of the VDUs. Reading code's as natural as breathing to me. What! They're asking permission to enter. 

Gingerly I press the control panel keys to open one of the hatches. Control panel readings confirm one has entered. There's still a swarm of them outside. More code flashes up: I'm being asking to leave the ship. I undo the safety harnesses and stand up: stretching and easing my limbs as I do so. I pick up my backpack and portable keypad. As I turn around, a Sentinel appears. 

They're smaller than I expected, but with their laser-equipped cutting tools for a mouth and sharp, tensile limbs I can see how they'd be deadly, particularly as a swarm. This one seems to be waiting: its red lasers look like eyes watching me. I guess I'm to lead the way out. 

Outside the Bethany it seems to have got a little lighter or maybe my eyes have adjusted to the dimness. Several Sentinels move out of the way as I manoeuvre myself out, unnecessarily checking I could still get back in. An elevated platform runs alongside The Bethany and seems to point the way to a huge circular, rotary machine. The Sentinels move into a line along the edge of the platform. Clearly that's the way I'm supposed to go. I'd like to take a few more minutes to get my bearings and look around, but the first Sentinel nudges my wrist. I walk towards the circular machine. 

Just before the machine, a metal rope forms a circular barrier around me on the platform and I stop. The head of the machine bows and I look down and gasp. 

In front of me are two plaques. I crouch down and touch them, platinium, I guess, solid but silvery and untarnished. My fingers feel the raised inscription although I already know what the code says. One says Neo, the other Trinity. 

I feel tears well up. Millions lost their lives during the War, why should I be so affected by these two? Or is it because the Machines have created this... what? Tribute? Memory? 

I trace their names again. 

Then notice my keypad has powered up. A cable has attached itself. I record it as conversation, but it's an exchange of code. 

"You share their DNA." 

"They are my parents," I type without thinking. Then look at the code I've created: the balance of probabilities is falling in favour of it being true. "What happened?" 

No response. 

I realise it's too general a question. "Why did you create the plaques?" I touch them again. 

"Why are you here?" 

I guess I don't get to ask the questions. There doesn't seem much point in using the subtleties of diplomacy. "To establish the exact terms of the Truce that was negotiated." 

"Neo satisfied those terms. That is all you need to know." 

I wait. 

The circular machine retracts to somewhere below me. I walk back to The Bethany. I didn't expect to get an answer first time. But I did expect more interrogation, more hostility. 

All the Sentinels have gone except the one that seems to be my guide and watcher. As I climb aboard, it still follows. I don't put up any resistance. My intentions are peaceful and I don't want to harm any future negotiations I may be permitted to make. I pick up a ration of gloop and sit on my bunk. My body clock tells me it's nightfall in Zion. 

The Sentinel appears to be checking the ship. I eat and ease back on my bunk. A wire stretches out from The Sentinel. Initially I think it's aimed at me, but realise it's a plug searching for the keypad. I show it the keypad's socket and it connects. 

"No EMP?" 

I shake my head. "I come in peace." 

"1," it agrees. "The humans, Neo and Trinity, were your parents?" 

"1. Why were the plaques created?" 

"To record." 

I think. In binary logic, a record simply exists: it can be validated or verified, but it doesn't have any interpretive value unless compared with another record. So asking if the plaques were created to remember Neo and Trinity or to record the Truce would be pointless. They exist and in some memory bank somewhere is a memo that Neo negotiated the Truce and maybe wat the terms were. At least, I assumed "Neo satisfied those terms," means Neo negotiated. "Where is Trinity?" I type. 

"Scrapped." 

The Sentinel means dead. 

"Neo." 

"1." 

I look away from the keypad and touch my locket. It's not a surprise: after all it was what was assumed. But this is the closest I've got to them, the closest I can get to them. 

"Is this how it's recorded?" 

"Two humans were on a ship that was destined for Machine City. The ship was stopped. One human injured and scrapped." 

"A Sentinel killed her?" 

There's no response, not that one's needed. 

"Neo entered The Matrix." 

"Why?" I type before thinking. 

"To erase Smith." 

Smith? I think. Before I'd left, Webb had taught me some unofficial history. I'd learnt there was a program called Smith whom Neo had unplugged. The program had turned rogue. 

"Neo = 1, Smith = 0." 

"1." 

I look at the screen, then lie back on my bunk. Tiredness threatens to overwhelm me. For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction. Neo was effectively a rogue human: he had been able to influence The Matrix. Smith was his nemesis. The Machines needed Smith erased too. I look at the screen again, Neo = 1, Smith = 0, 1. And mentally add = Truce.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Part 4 may not follow so quickly as I'm currently battling an acute attack of sinusitis but it will appear! 


	4. 090425

A/N: apologies for the delay. Chapter 5 is on its way (currently undergoing another edit)

* * *

Usual disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters or settings of The Matrix and I'm not making a profit.

**The Matrix: Reverberations**

09/04/25 

I wake. The Sentinel's still there but the keypad screen is blank. I don't usually remember my dreams: I tend to wake with a jerk, but last night I'd seen Trinity bent over a VDU, keying furiously, foot tapping with impatience and Neo in his long black duster coat running along a maze of corridors trying to find her. She yelps and stand as she punches the air in victory as she's managed to hack in. Neo finds the right door and sweeps her into his arms. They were kissing as I woke, a deep, exclusive, lovers' kiss. 

The keypad powers up. "What were you doing?" 

I think: it knows I've been sleeping. "Defragging and recharging." 

"1." 

I get up, wash and dress. Breakfast is more gloop. I go back to The Bethany's main control panel. The Sentinel unobtrusively follows me. The platform that was outside has been removed. For something to do, I re-run the routine checks. I carry the keypad, but the Sentinel doesn't use it. 

I return to the main control panel. A code message has appeared, "Permission to leave granted." 

"I guess I'm going, then," I say to myself. I look at the Sentinel, "Are you coming too?" I point at the keypad. 

It connects. "No instruction." 

I power up The Bethany and stand by, then key a message stating that a Sentinel is still aboard. The return message is that I have clearance to take off. 

"Looks like you're coming too," I say. 

The Sentinel appears to have gone into idle mode. I ignore it and focus on steering The Bethany clear of Machine City. Once clear, I set a course for Zion and switch to auto-pilot. 

"Waiting instruction," flashes on the keypad. 

"Record what I say to The Council. Relay it back to Machine City and wait further instructions." It looks authorative in code, but I haven't a clue what I'm actually going to say. 

"1." The Sentinel reverts to idle. 

There's a sensible idea: I lean back and try to get some rest too. I'll need as much brainpower as I can muster when I meet with The Council. 

I think back to my dream: Neo and Trinity kiss. "You think like her and fight like him. Well, Trinity, what would you do?". I'm thinking aloud, but the Sentinel wouldn't understand even if it were listening. Neo used intuition: he didn't know what he was going to say to the machines until he had to say it. Trinity used code. Neo = 1, Smith = 0, Truce = 1. 1 0 = 1. Could humans and machines co-exist? Could the Truce be kept? 


	5. 090525

Usual disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters or settings of The Matrix and I'm not making a profit. 

**The Matrix: Reverberations**

09/05/25 

We're confined on board The Bethany until The Council are ready to meet. At the allotted time, I'm permitted to leave The Bethany and wait to be collected after being thoroughly searched. The Sentinel has been instructed to remain aboard The Bethany - I guess an unarmed ship is as good a prison as any. 

Two Councillors appear and I walk between them to the chamber. Wordlessly they sit at their places at the semi-circular table. There's nowhere for me to sit, so I stand in full view of Council. Then there's what seems to be a very long pause but it probably only lasted a matter of seconds. 

"Stupid Alice!" I tell myself mentally. "They're waiting for you to speak. You don't get an invite. Although it would be nice to know what Council protocol actually is so I'm not left standing here feeling like a complete fool. But maybe that's what they want, to make you feel as uncomfortable as possible to wrong-foot you." I clear my throat. I still haven't planned what I'm going to say, but I'm going to pitch my voice at a calm, reasonable level so that it sounds convincing. 

"Councillors," good place to begin, I tell myself. "The Machines gave no obstruction to The Bethany as I approached Machine City and quickly gave me permission to land. In the centre of Machine City itself are two commemorative plaques, one for Neo, one for Trinity, and it is recorded that Neo negotiated the Truce," I pause. I wonder what Webb would think of my performance if he were here. So far, I'd give it zero, but even Webb used to tell me I was too hard on myself. 

I realise the room's not entirely quiet. Some Councillors are exchanging glances and motioning to each other. I guess they find the commemorative plaque bit difficult to believe. I wait for the shushing to diminish. 

"Neo acknowledged that both Machines and humans were tired of war. Both humans and Machines needed the rogue program Smith terminated. In return for this, the Machines were to withdraw from Zion, not to seek reparations and to maintain the peace. Sentinels have already been reprogrammed as solely reconnaissance machines and alternative fuel sources have been found. Neo terminated Smith and agreed that humans would maintain the peace." What I've just said doesn't convince me and I'm hoping the "alternative fuel supply" bit is true, but then it doesn't have to. 

The two Councillors who brought me, rise and I gather I'm to follow them out again. I'm taken back to The Bethany. 

The Sentinel plugs itself into the keypad, "Instructions?" 

"Wait," I key. I sit in the control seat. "How much power do you have?" 

"Two days' full power." 

I nod. "You might need it," I think. 

I wonder what's in store for me now. Effectively I'm redundant and whether I go back to the Military or get permission to lead a "normal" life, I know I'll be supervised. I lean back, focus on a blank space but can't conjure up the code that would have me watching sunlight dapple through a tree. Why do humans get so hung up on this issue of trust? 

Someone approaches The Bethany. It's Webb: I recognise his profile the moment I see it. However, his presence suggests bad news. At least, I assume if it were good news, a Councillor would come and bad news gets delegated. We go through the usual procedures before I let him aboard: I'd only disappoint him if I didn't. 

"At ease," he greets me in a tone as expressionless as his face. He glances at the Sentinel. 

"Idle," I say. I remain standing, as he does. 

"A successful mission, well done," he says begrudgingly although I know he's actually pleased. 

I nod. "You didn't come here just to tell me that." 

"The Sentinel must be returned." 

"Yes, Sir." 

"You think..." he begins and stops. "Clearance for take off is forthcoming." 

"Thank you, Sir." 

Webb leaves. 

I rush through systems checks and power up The Bethany ready to leave. As Webb promised, authorisation comes through within minutes. 

"You're going home," I tell the Sentinel and somehow squeeze a few seconds to type, "Destination: Machine City," on the keypad. 

The Sentinel doesn't respond until we're clear of Zion and I've switched The Bethany to auto. 

"Waiting instructions." 

I think. Webb clearly wasn't going to talk in front of the Sentinel so I try and recall every word, every nuance. "Successful... returned... clearance... forthcoming..." leap out as keywords and he also wanted to remind me I'm my parents' daughter. Maybe he wasn't entirely bad news after all. I pull the keypad towards me. "Report that the humans will keep The Truce." 

"1." 

I smile. "Yeah, but how much did you understand?" I mentally ask. I lean back: time to get some rest. I still have to find out what my future will hold. My mind's eye can see Machine City. Part of me wonders at how beautiful it is: the light dappling against surfaces. Their welcome might have lacked the diplomacy of a human welcome, but it was a warm welcome nonetheless. I look at the Sentinel, who's reverted to idle. I'll miss it. 

Could I stay in Machine City? 

Twenty-four hours ago that thought seemed impossible. It doesn't seem so impossible now.

* * *

A/N: final chapter to follow. 


	6. 090625

A/N: Final Chapter

* * *

Usual disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters or settings of The Matrix and I'm not making a profit.

**The Matrix: Reverberations**

09/06/25 

"Damn!" I pinch myself. "How could you take so long to work it out!" 

The Sentinel becomes alert. 

I don't move from my chair so the Sentinel doesn't move either. 

"It's obvious now." I don't care that I appear to be talking to myself as the only thing listening is the Sentinel and I suspect it knows more about me than I do. "The Councillors sent Webb because they want me back in the military. Back to those endless routines." 

The Sentinel plugs into the keypad but doesn't say anything. 

I gasp. Machine City, suddenly within The Bethany's view, looks more beautiful than I remember it. I send a communication with explaining my presence, although they're probably already aware. 

"Would I have a future here?" I key. 

"0." 

I look at the Sentinel, but, of course, it shows no expression. "0?" 

"We need you on Zion." 

I nod. They need someone to check The Council intend to maintain The Truce and who better than the peacemaker's daughter? 

"1?" 

"?" I need time to think. 

"Permission to land granted. Do not leave the ship." 

I look at the Sentinel. Now I realise the real authority lay with it. The large machine I spoke to was a proxy, but the Sentinel couldn't afford to reveal that until now. 

I steer The Bethany into the landing bay, and dock. The Sentinel waits until I've run through the routine checks. The Bethany's visual display shows the two commemorative plaques. I know I've been brought here deliberately. 

I look at Trinity's plaque. She had a love of code that would have enabled her to communicate with the machines. However, she'd been at war too long: she was fatigued and couldn't see a way to peace. If she had survived, would she have let Neo back into The Matrix or would she have seen that as a battle too far with too many risks? 

Activity on the keypad draws my attention. 

"Her death wasn't planned. We were at war and attacked. She was weak from injury." 

I nod: there's nothing to say. 

Neo hadn't been at war for long. He could see a means to peace and grasped it, maybe unwillingly and Trinity's death freed him to give all that he could. If she'd survived, he may have hung back and that would have enabled Smith to terminate Neo. The war would have continued and I probably wouldn't have been born. 

I open my locket and look at his picture, which was taken without him knowing. He's looking at Trinity. 

"Damn you!" I mutter and snap the locket shut. But I don't mean that: it wasn't Neo's fault. "Sorry." I kiss the locket. 

I turn to the keypad and delete the Sentinel's last two comments and my question mark. 

It reaches out one of its cutting tools and touches me lightly on my wrist, leaving no mark. 

"1," I type.


End file.
